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Humans Not Solely To Blame For Passenger Pigeon Extinction

Posted by samzenpus on from the who's-to-blame dept.

sciencehabit (1205606) writes When the last passenger pigeon died at a zoo in 1914, the species became a cautionary tale of the dramatic impact humans can have on the world. But a new study finds that the bird experienced multiple population booms and crashes over the million years before its final demise. The sensitivity of the population to natural fluctuations, the authors argue, could have been what made it so vulnerable to extinction.

6 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Regardless of any 'sensitivities'... by TapeCutter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yep, they survived multiple population crashes for a million years.

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    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  2. I take something else from the study by Ken_g6 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    In discussion about potentially cloning passenger pigeons, there were concerns that the species needed huge flocks. As a result, there were concerns that cloning just a few wouldn't be enough to bring back the species.

    Since this study showed that passenger pigeons had population crashes before and came back, this should alleviate the flock size concerns.

    --
    (T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
  3. Re:Regardless of any 'sensitivities'... by Stargoat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No.

    Humans poisoned the crap out of it with absolutely complete regard for the future of the species. Passenger Pigeons were regarded as a menace by early settlers, like locust. And like locust, they were eliminated. Yes, Passenger Pigeons were hunted, and yes, the last few thousand were likely killed by hunters. But the first 100,000,000 million were poisoned or had their trees cut down.

    --
    Hoist Number One and Number Six.
  4. Re:Regardless of any 'sensitivities'... by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

    great awks

    Well sed.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  5. Re:Regardless of any 'sensitivities'... by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wooly mammoths? Can you imagine those beasts trampling down your fields? Because you don't think that your puny fences would keep them reined in, do you? And the shedding everywhere!

    You young'uns have NO idea what the paleolithic time was like! Now get offa my steppe!

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    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  6. You ALWAYS do by aepervius · · Score: 4, Insightful

    There are not many scenario. You always survive population boom and crash until the last crash which you do not survive, interspersed with maybe a few stable periods. Omnes vulnerant, ultima necat.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
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    visit randi.org